In video communications applications it is often necessary to transmit at a fixed bit rate. Any extra amount of information transmitted beyond this fixed bit rate would be discarded, and transmitting at a lower bit rate would be a waste of bandwidth. When the bandwidth is wasted, video quality is less than ideal. Similarly, preparing a video stream for media storage (e.g. DVD) necessitates the population of a disk to the maximum capacity such that no disk partition is wasted.
During real-time encoding, the actual number of bits output from a video encoder must be fed back to compute deviations in bit rate. These deviations are used by a bit rate controller for future adjustments. With advancements in video encoding, bits output from a video encoder can be delayed by the inherent complexity required for optimum compression. Therefore, a new approach is required for controlling bit rate in a video encoder.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.